Mail-box signal.



W. D. KLEES.

MAIL BOX SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19. 1917.

1 MJOQW Patented Apr. 23, 1918.

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WILLIAM D. KLEES, OF PLAINVIEW, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNDR OF ONE-HALE T0ALBERT H. SENST, 0F PLAINVIEW, MINNESOTA.

MAIL-BOX SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, 12M

Application filed .Tune 19, 1917. Serial No. 175,650.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. KLEEs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Plainview, in the county of Wabasha, State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Box Signals;

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same. 1

This invention relates to improvements in mail boxes and particularly toboxes used in rural communities.

One object of the present invention is to provide a novel signal for thebox which is arranged to be elevated by the opening move ment of thedoor through which the mail man inserts the mail.

Another object is to provide novel means for holding the signal inelevated position after the mail has been deposited in the box and thedoor closed.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a mail box equipped with my signal, thelatter being in elevated position.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the box, the signal beingin elevatedposition.

Fig. 3 is a top planviow of the same.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the sigha] in lowered position.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation showing the signal in lowered position.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional vie taken on the line 66' of Fig. 1.

Referring particularly to the accompanying drawing 10 represents a mailbox of the type in common use in rural communities. In one end of thebox there is mounted a downwardly swinging door 11 which permits accessto the interior of the box, the door being rigidly secured to atransverse shaft 12 rotatably supported in the side walls of. the openend of the box. One end of this shaft is formed with a crank 13, towhich is pivotally connected a vertically extending rod 14:.

Mounted on the outer face of the upper or free end of the door is ahook-shaped memt her 15, the upper or hooked end of which is arranged tosnap under the downwardly curved projecting end 16 of a strip 17, whichis secured to the top of the mail box.

Secured across the top of the box is a. strip 18, the ends of which areturned upwardly, as indicated at 19 and 20, respec tively, each of saidends being formed with. a transverse opening 21. Disposed through theseopenings for rotary motion, is a shaft- 22, one end of which is turnedat right angles, at 28, and carries a metal flag 24, while the other endis turned at right angles, at 25, and carries a pair of spaced disks 25.The said end 25 is disposed through a longitudinal slot 26 formed in theupper end of the before-mentioned rod 14, the said disks bearing on eachside of the said and of the rod to prevent disengagement of the end 25from the slot.

Secured to the upturned end 20 is an angle plate 27. the portion 28 ofwhich extends outwardly from the side of the box and is formed with anotch 29 for the reception of the crank 25, as will be more clearlyexplained hereinafter. It will be noted that the upper portion of thisangle plate is not secured to the end 20, thus permitting a flexingmovement of said portion of the plate when engaged by the crank 25. Byreason of this flexibility of the upper portion of the angle plate, thecrank 25 will be'efi'ec tively retained in the notch. It will he notedthat the crank portions of the shaft 22 are disposed in planes at rightangles to each other,,so that when the crank 25 is disposed in thenotch, the other crank portion which carries the flag will'be in avertical position, and when the flag portion lies flat on the top of thebox, the crank 25 will stand in a vertical position, at the upper end ofthe slot 26.

In normal condition the flag is disposed on the top of the box and thecrank in a vertical position. When the mail man grasps the hook 15 andpulls the door into open position, the rod 14'wlll be pulled downwardly'so that the upper end wall of the slot 26 will. exert a correspondingpull on the crank 25 and rock the shaft 22 thus moving the flag intovertical position. The crank 25 will engage with the angle plate 27 andseat itself in the notch thereof, whereby. the flag will be held in itsvertical position after the door has again been closed. By reason of thelength of the slot 26 the crank 25 will not till till

till

Mid

Mid

be moved when the rod 14 moves upwardly during the closingof the door.After the mail has been removed by the owner of the box, the flag islowered by hand.

, What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a mail box having a swinging door, of a signalmounted on the box and arranged for movement into horizontal andvertical positions, a rod operatively connected to the door and movabletherewith when the door is opened and closed, a crank member carried bythe signal and sidably engaged ith the rod for movement y the rod whenthe door is opened, and means for engagement with the crank member tohold the same from movement by the rod when. the door is closed.

2. The combination with a mail box having a pivoted door carrying acrank shaft, a shaft mounted on the box and carrying a signal on one endand a crank on the other end, a rod pivotally connected to the firstcrank and slidably connected to the other crank, the second shaft. beingadapted to be moved by the rod when the door is opened, and a resilientdetcnt for engagement with the second crank to render the rodinopcrative with respect to the crank.

In testimony whereof. I allix my signai are in the presence of twowitnesses.

\VILLTAM l). KLEES.

\Vitncsses ALnsn'r H. Snxsr, WILLIAM DITTRICU.

